my monetary position is also similar to the aforementioned sloth. I was hoping to spend no more than £500 a year keeping it on the road. Would you say this is unrealistic if I get others to do the work?

Theres no reason why you can't do your own servicing & repairs, it's far more rewarding & alot cheaper, OK a head off job is not the place to start but the advice on here should you take anything on will be honest, practical & freely given.
I am new to Citroen maintenence but i'm learning quickly & gaining confidence as i go along.

I have done the head gasket on a mini before, but they are pushrod, so pretty easy. Shiming valve clearences and anything to do with timing scares me silly. I guess if the fault was such that I could drive it somewhere for someone more experienced to give me a hand, I would be happier attempting it myself. With it dumping water so majorly, I guess I am stuck with getting it to the nearest decent garage and handing over a wad of cash.

What you can do is get expert help for the bits you can't do. For example you are going to have to get the head planed - so you are visiting an engine re-conditioner - so get him to deal with the valves while he has got the head.

What you need when doing these jobs is not a huge bank of knowledge but sufficient tools, loads of patience and some common sense - which tells you that the reason something isn't coming off is that there's still a bolt holding somethinbg, that sealing faces must be really clean and new gaskets should be used and so on.

That is pretty much the idea I had. What I would ideally like is instead of 'wasting' money for a garage to do the head, for example, is to pay someone to show me how to do it. That way, next time I could do more, and have to call on the experts less, and would feel I am 'investing' the money, instead of pouring it away. Then, even if this car does go the way of all flesh, i woiuld still have the knowledge.

If i had the knowledge i'd help you, any excuse to screw the GTi round the Cotswolds, but as i said i'm a newbie & i am very lucky cos my BX is a second car so if i don't get it fixed by Sunday night it's no hardship.

Thanks for the thought. If anyone does want to come to some sort of financial arrangement, let me know.

My BX is my second vehicle as well. My main means of transport is my bicycle. I got the BX because it fits every criteria I had: good mileage, carries a couple of bikes without problems, easy to drive, and most of all, interesting/cool. Do you ever tire of feeling the car lift as you start it?